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enWhy President Obama Is in New Yorkhttp://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/09/24/why-president-obama-new-york
After the President's address at the United Nations General Assembly this morning, Secretary of State John Kerry sent the following message to the White House email list.

Each and every year, the world's leaders gather in New York for a session of the United Nations General Assembly. Earlier today, President Obama spoke to them directly in an address that warrants the attention not only of those leaders, but of all Americans. It was clear, candid, and compelling. The President talked about the world as it is, and the world as we all hope it can be.

The President said that, for all the hard-won progress we see in the world, there is also what he today called a "pervasive unease."

A deadly Ebola outbreak ravaging West Africa, Russian aggression in Ukraine, and the group of medieval murdering terrorists known as ISIL, which, left unchecked, could pose a growing threat beyond the region -- including our homeland.

So when President Obama addressed the leaders of more than 140 nations this morning, he posed two fundamental questions that will help define both the world's future and our own: Can the major powers set aside their differences and meet their responsibilities as leaders? And can the world reject the cancer of violent extremism?

]]>White HouseForeign PolicyBarack ObamaBeijingCairoIraqJeddahJohn KerryJubaKabulKievMiddle EastNew YorkUkraineUnited StatesWest AfricaWed, 24 Sep 2014 20:53:02 +0000<a href="/blog/author/Secretary John Kerry" class="author-name">Secretary John Kerry</a>299966 at http://www.whitehouse.govBeating Malaria: We Must Win This Fighthttp://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2013/12/11/beating-malaria-we-must-win-fight
Ed. note: This is cross-posted from DipNote, the official blog of the U.S. Department of State. See the original post here.

It’s important to mark milestones of great progress both because they remind us that disciplined and determined effrts can be successful in meeting great challenges – but also because they underscore something Nelson Mandela once told us: “It always seems impossible until it is done.”

Today, the World Health Organization released a report that confirms what many of us have long believed: we’re knocking on the door of doing what many fifteen years ago deemed impossible. The bottom line: we can beat malaria, one of the most intransigent diseases on the planet. By bringing together governments, business leaders, philanthropists, donor agencies and citizens in malaria endemic countries to end deaths from this preventable and treatable disease, we’re making tremendous, unparalleled progress.

Just unpack the statistics in this new report, and the reality is compelling. Globally, malaria mortality has fallen 51 percent among children under the age of 5; in sub-Saharan Africa, by 54 percent. We crossed an important threshold in 2012 -- for the first time, fewer than 500,000 children died of malaria. Our efforts saved approximately 3.3 million lives between 2000 and 2012.

It’s not just that we are beating back malaria in and of itself; the ripple effect is dramatic. Just connect the dots. President Obama has insisted we all focus on his big, bold vision of ending preventable child and maternal deaths by 2035, and helping relieve extreme poverty. If you beat malaria, you’ve taken dramatic steps in that direction.

]]>White HouseForeign PolicyGeorge W. BushJohn KerryNelson Mandelasub-Saharan AfricaTimothy ZiemerUnited StatesWashington, D.C.Wed, 11 Dec 2013 23:22:25 +0000<a href="/blog/author/Secretary John Kerry" class="author-name">Secretary John Kerry</a>249421 at http://www.whitehouse.govState Department Works to Bring Relief to Typhoon Victimshttp://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2013/11/11/state-department-works-bring-relief-typhoon-victims
Ed. note: This is cross-posted from DipNote, the official blog of the U.S. Department of State. See the original post here.

As we commemorate Veterans Day here at home, the State Department is working with Team Rubicon to deploy a team of incredible, courageous American veterans to the Philippines and all the areas damaged by Typhoon Haiyan. Just as they did after Hurricane Sandy, these veterans will be using the skills they learned in uniform to help others recover from this terrible storm.

The State Department also is cooperating with the Philippines Typhoon Disaster Relief Fund established by The mGive Foundation, a U.S. nonprofit organization, to coordinate donations via mobile phones to benefit victims of the typhoon.

I want to assure the people of the Philippines and the many Americans of Filipino heritage that we are working as hard as possible to provide essential assistance to help the Philippine people and their government recover from this tragedy.

Since the start of this calamity, the United States has been working closely with our partners in the Philippines to provide rapid and effective relief. Our embassies in the Philippines and Palau are in close and constant contact with their partners in local governments to direct aid to the right places. When I spoke with Philippines Foreign Minister Albert del Rosario, I assured him of our full commitment to providing all necessary assistance.